Bruce Springsteen – Manchester Co-Op Live #1: Live!

By Mike Ainscoe on 15th May 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Co-Op Live, Manchester – 14th May 2025

Well, well. Bruce is back in Manchester. Out in the Eastlands. A building raised out of steel although not quite in the swamps. Indoors to boot and the weather in Manchester is scorching. Of course it is. His past couple of visits in the open air to the Etihad across the way have been accompanied by typically grey skies. It’s also another Manchester venue to tick off along with the Apollo, the Etihad, Old Trafford (football and cricket) and the Arena in town.

And while the sun beats down and the crowd is in high spirits, there’s a sense of sobriety as Bruce celebrates the first birthday of the Coop Live with some sobering thoughts. Darkness is no longer lurking on the edge of town. It’s alive and kicking in your hometown. Bruce has always had a keen, shall we say, political eye. BFF with Obama, touring for Amnesty in the eighties and No Nukes in ’79 just the tip of the iceberg.

THE RIGHTEOUS POWER OF ROCK AND ROLL

However, 2025 sees him not just passionate but clearly and angry man, as before a note is played, he informs us how “the mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times.” He calls for compassion, freedom and fairness and asks us to raise our voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring and the stage explodes into colour and light and the inspiration of Land Of Hope And Dreams.

A song often placed to lift the latter part of the show, it warrants its opening slot and Bruce’s opening remarks seem to serve notice that mean we reach deeper into the words and the meanings of the songs tonight. He’s clearly not a fan of Mr President and his “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration,” and mid set, My City Of Ruins has him sat at the lip of the raised dias, almost head hands, to ponder the “very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now,” and his desperation at the state in which his country finds itself.

The prayers continue for Long Walk Home – one ticked off the personal wish list – but the vibes give way to celebration as Darkness section leads into The Promised Land, the Hungry Heart party and My Hometown. Again, certain lyrics strike home as a 75 year old man sings about sitting on his dad’s lap and driving through town. Some of the thousands will surely have had pangs of their own mortality.

FEARSOME & STIRRING

The setlist watchers would have been delighted with a live debut for Rainmaker (“for our dear leader“), and a mention in dispatches for a surprise Human Touch. The end of the latter in particular is thrilling. Likewise for Death To My Hometown as second song in, is both fearsome and stirring as he leads the troops into battle.

The huge 17 piece band are arranged in a pleasing symmetry with Max Weinberg immediately behind his boss, taking many of the cues and doing an incredible job in pace setting, thunder rolling and time keeping. Nils lofgren shredding and doing his trademark spins (Because The Night in partic), Stevie Van Zandt looking suitably threatening and Jake Clemons stepping out from the E Street Horns to pierce the air in delivering the Big Man sax lines.

Plenty of levity and fun, lusty singalongs and harmoincas handed to the lucky few at the barrier balances out the sobriety. Bruce mentions a trip to Liverpool and hears a chorus of playful boos and as he knocks out Wrecking Ball and asks “who’s been to Jersey” he’s moved to profanity in his incredulity at the response. He also admits to a few nerves ahead of the first night of a new touring cycle but somehow he copes with twenty thousand behind him some literally as he and the band often turn to face those in the seats positioned to the rear of the venue.

RAMPAGING IN THE USA

When the sway of The Rising starts, you know the long sprint to the line is beginning – Badlands and mass chanting, roaming the front of the stage for Thunder Road, a l-o-n-g line in formation for a bow and into an encore stretch that begins with a rampage through Born In The USA. Bruce reverts to “born…USA” and you can forgive him being on a second/third/fourth wind after a relentless barrage, pausing only to swap guitars and count in the next song.

If we could replay one song it would be – Murder Incorporated. Pure and vicious, maybe Stevie’s theme toon, and sung with the sort of venom than you could imagine for a man of his age and almost two hours into a punishing set. And so the evening ended as it had begun and the return of Dylan’s Chimes Of Freedom. One that first appeared on the ’88 Amnesty tour and still relevant. A sign of the times and tonight’s circle complete. Two more nights to rock, best save some breath…watch this space.